Using Essential oils for bathing

 

Using essential oils in a bath is so simple and luxurious.

I think that’s probably why this is one of the more popular ways people use essential oils.
Adding essential oils to a bath is great for your skin. You also inhale the oils—the warm bath water helps them evaporate more quickly. So relaxing!
We talk about how to use essential oils in a bath in Aromahead’s free online class, the Introduction to Essential Oils. There’s a lot more to it than just dropping essential oils in your bath water! (We also talk about other methods of use, such as aromatherapy inhalers and lip balms, and how to make blends for yourself and friends.)
It’s not always a good idea to just drop essential oils directly into your bath water. First of all . . . oil and water don’t mix! So your essential oils won’t disperse well. Second, the oils won’t float in the middle of the tub, but will be drawn to the lipids in your skin. This means they’ll be touching your skin undiluted. Combined with hot water, this can potentially cause irritation.
So a safe, effective way to use essential oils in a bath is to mix them with salts or a fatty substance, such as milk or a carrier oil (sesame oil is wonderful if you like the aroma!). The salts, milk, or carrier oil protect your skin, and help the essential oils disperse through the bath water.

Here are three popular ways to add essential oils to a bath:

1. Add 5 drops of essential oil to a tablespoon (15 ml) of carrier oil, and then add this to your bath water.
2. Add 5 drops of essential oil to a cup of whole milk and pour it into your bath. The oils will bond with the fats in the milk. When the milk disperses through the water and touches your skin, so do the essential oils. In this case, the milk creates a protective layer that prevents skin irritation. (Side note: Using milk is easier to clean up than using a carrier oil!)
3. Blend 5 drops of essential oil into 1 oz (28 gm) of bath salts. I like to use pink Himalayan salts, but you can use any natural salts that you like. All you have to do is drop your essential oils right into the salts and stir. Using bath salts means you’re also filling your bath with skin-nourishing nutrients and minerals in the salt.

What essential oils in a bath are the most relaxing and skin loving?

Some oils I love to add to my baths are:

• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
• Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)
• Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
• Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

Take care of your skin: Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and the spice oils, like Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) are no-no’s. They can be too irritating to bathe with.
Also, when it comes to the rich florals, like Rose (Rose damascena), Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata), and Geranium (Pelargonium roseum x asperum), only use a drop or two. They are beautiful but can become overpowering very quickly.